Suicide note ‘from beyond the grave’ blames accused
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A vulnerable young mother “from beyond the grave” blamed her partner as responsible for her death in her suicide note, a jury was told. Ryan Wellings, 30, who denies manslaughter, is accused of driving Kiena Dawes, 23, to her death after he allegedly subjected her to continued domestic violence and abuse, Preston Crown Court has heard.
Hairdresser Ms Dawes, from Fleetwood, Lancashire, said in a suicide note “I was murdered” and that Wellings had “killed me”. Shortly after writing the note on her phone, she left it and their eight-month-old daughter with a friend before taking her own life on a railway line on July 22 2022, after two years of alleged domestic abuse and violence.
Paul Greaney KC cited the suicide note in his closing speech for the prosecution to the jury as the trial entered its sixth week. Mr Greaney said: “The suicide note represents her account, from beyond the grave, of why she decided to take her own life.
“She said, ‘I fought to the end. Ryan Wellings killed me.’. “Kiena was saying, we suggest, that the unlawful conduct of Ryan Wellings is why she decided she could live no longer. “Kiena would not have died when she did, but for the crimes of the defendant.”.
Earlier, Mr Greaney suggested to the jury that almost from the beginning of their relationship, Wellings repeatedly subjected Ms Dawes to controlling and coercive behaviour, abuse and violence over a prolonged period to “grind” her down. Ms Dawes had been diagnosed with an emotionally unstable personality disorder – resulting in increased impulsivity, poor self-esteem and difficulty in relationships, jurors heard.
